Festive highlights with White Wine in the Sun for Christmas at the Quarry with Freeze Frame Opera

Sublime seasonal highlights were served with White Wine in the Sun for Freeze Frame Opera’s Christmas celebration at the Quarry Amphitheatre on Saturday. Opera royalty topped the bill, with a quartet of divas on what MC Penny Shaw called “a night of 1000 sopranos”. Sara Macliver was sparkling in voice and appearance for Rejoice Greatly from Handel’s Messiah, reprising her recent Perth Concert Hall triumph. Shaw announced “another Baroque banger” in Vivaldi’s Alleluia, a virtuoso display of vocal fireworks from Rachelle Durkin that raised a chuckle with an invitation to “sing along”. Emma Pettemerides then cooled the mood with O Holy Night, serenely intoned to the accompaniment of Tommaso Pollio’s rippling piano with accordionist Cathie Travers and cellist Melinda Forsythe, the latest lineup of “Trio Tiramisu”. Pettemerides duetted with rising sopranos Michelle Pryor and Bonnie Staude then soared above the melody, flexing fake angel’s wings in her stellar trajectory. FFO doyenne Hattie Marshall completed the foursome, with Heia! Heia! from The Gypsy Princess, throwing down a romantic challenge to young tenors Vin Trikeriotis and Kohsei Gilkes with slapstick just a breath away in best Freeze Frame tradition. Trikeriotis and Gilkes then laid on cheesy humour and ham acting for Italian favourites Mattinata and O Sole Mio, throwing themselves and the popular arias around the Quarry with gusto. A crystal-clear English version of Via Resti Servita, from Marriage of Figaro, brought back Staude and Pryor, matching the boys for drama with an ample dose of spite and jealousy. Devon Lake’s rich baritone brought an extra layer of colour to the mix, duetting with Pettemerides through All I Ask of You, from Phantom of the Opera, ascending the Quarry steps as if for a wedding. Staying with Phantom, Shaw paired with bass Robert Hofmann in Prima Donna, mocking the titular role with cynical abandon then inviting the rest of the company on stage for Brindisi, from La Traviata, a Freeze Frame favourite for all settings; indoors, outdoors, and even roadside from their Opera Truck. Closing the half, Pollio’s Andrea Bocelli mashup put Tiramisu back on the menu in a multi-layered dessert. As darkness fell, Trio Tiramisu returned with Le Banquet from the French movie Amelie, led on accordion with silvery piano and pizzicato cello imparting a sense of childlike wonder to match the season. All pitched in for Silent Night, opening with Macliver and Durkin as the others processed like cathedral choristers to join in florid harmonies attended by stars and copious dry ice. Macliver’s ethereal timbre embraced Walking in the Air, from The Snowman; she and Durkin glistening like snowflakes as they shared the smash hit, with a hint of wish fulfilment in frosty lyrics defying the December heat. From frosting back to cheese and ham as Gilkes impersonated Elvis in Love Me Tender over barbershop harmony from Lake, Hofmann and Trikeriotis. Blue Christmas then went next level, with spangled jumpsuit and lewd hip movements to match a louche accompaniment. A septet of nuns crashed the scene for I Will Follow Him, from Sister Act, with “Mother” Pryor in the lead, vamping for the virgin and son. Could Freeze Frame leave opera any further behind? Marshall and Trikeriotis seemed to think so, channelling Freddie Mercury and Montserrrat Caballe in the Barcelona Olympics theme, with cheese and ham to furnish 1000 tapas covers. Hofmann continued the globetrotting motif with New York, New York, stepping into Frank Sinatra’s well-worn shoes. Rhythm of Life, From Sweet Charity, brought back the full company for a song-and-dance show number, with Gilkes hamming his heart out at the front of the stage. That triggered a sing-along finale, ranging from Hallelujah to the Hippopotamus Song to 12 Days of Aussie Christmas – the mime for “two kangaroos” looking an awful lot like “Raygun” – and an ABBA tribute. But wait, there was more. Five years ago at the Quarry, Marshall sang White Wine in the Sun and lamented that her cousin wasn’t there to share it. This year, cousin Tim Minchin answered her call in a pin-drop moment; singing his Christmas hit on December 21, eclipsing Paul Kelly’s “Gravy Day”. Hard to follow, but FFO gave it their best in a vivid Christmas mashup, returning to Handel and the Hallelujah chorus for one last glorious chord.